Lure making safety!!! What do you guys think!

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

Ok... Alot of guys on TU use epoxy.. I just want everyones thoughts and imput on saftey... To wear rubber gloves or not too.. to use a 3M Vapor MASK or not... To wear saftey glasses or leave them off..

I would rather not use any of the saftey stuff If I couldnt help it.. All of it gets in the way... I know I should.. but how safe is this stuff..

I called Decvon and they said its safe.. just make sure you have a good air flow.... I have about 3 fans going all the time.. but lately I havent felt 100 percent... Could just be the dust in the air from the heat and no rain..

This might have been a post before.. But I didnt find one..

Let me know what yall think about this subject!!!! Lately I have had very dry eye lids...I dont know if its the epoxy .. or the air in my house...Plus I been having breathing trouble.. I try to wear all the stuff I said above .. but the gloves hurt my hands!!! Glasses hurt my vision.. and I the mask bugs me...

IMPUT PLEASE!!!

[Vodkaman]

Personally, I have had no adverse reactions with epoxy. It is nasty sticky stuff, so I have nail polish remover to clean my hands. This is probably just as bad as the epoxy.

If you are working with it for a couple of hours then I would ventilate, but for a five minute job occasionally, I would not bother.

As for safety glasses, I consider them absolutely essential when using any machine tools, even the humble dremel drill.

When spray painting water based paints, I would imagine a simple mask would suffice, but I don't paint so I'll leave that to the rest.

Sounds like you're having a hard time of it, have you seen the doc, you might have some kind of allergy to the materials.

[hazmail]

Rookie

Dry eyelids and breathing problems, sounds like sawdust to me- So innocent, it's only wood !! this is the one to really watch because the dust off sanders can be so fine it get into everything, including right down into your lungs and hair folicules on your eye lids. Also don,t forget to blow down your clothes/ hair, when you are finished sanding etc, as every time you move, a cloud of very fine dust 'smokes' off you and contaminates your house, bed, lounge, carpet, pets etc. That cedar you guys use a lot of over there, is renowned for causing BAD lung problems. Pete

[reeves]

Rookie,

Let me chime in with my two cents here. "GOLDEN RULE" . . . there is no compromise to safety! This is something that I think probably 99% of us do compromise on, even if it is for a one time instant, we are all guilty. I guess the big question you have to ask yourself at this point is, how long do you plan on living and make the necessary adjustments. Most accidents only take a second to happen and none are planned, so always expect something to go wrong and be thankful you took precautions.

[Vodkaman]

I had a minor dremel incident last night. Fortunately I was wearing safety glasses so the end of my finger did not damage my eyes!

[woodieb8]

safety first. a good blower system for painting and a dust collecter helps. for paint the power vent motor for hot water heaters is great for smaller jobs. we use a large system. safety cant be compromised.

[sagacious]

I would rather not use any of the saftey stuff If I couldnt help it................ Glasses hurt my vision...

I use all necessary safety gear religiously.

Safety glasses are a must each and every time you are working with heat, sharp or pointy edges, wire, drills, saws, dremels, springs, or any time you get that 'feeling' that you might need safety glasses.

Safety glasses are one of those things where you just do it-- ask yourself how inconvenient your life would be after an eye injury.

Good luck, and be safe.

[fatfingers]

Epoxy....

I like the fumes.

....sniff, sniff.

.....Oh, yea.

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

Thanks guys!! I never paint much wooden baits.. 97 percent of the time Im painting plastic lures.. All paint is water base.. I have a air cleaner running full blast.. 3 fans.. Saftey glasses.. rubber gloves... etc.. I just wanted to know if its over kill.. sometimes I use them.. sometimes I dont.. I had allergy problems before I started this lure painting stuff.. but never the dry eye lid problem.. I could be worn out..Everyone says wheres my bait.. or is my bait ready yet.. So I try my best to get them out.. But I think Im killing my body in the process.....I put in 16 hour days 3 or 4 days per week... and on days off I still find myself messing with them 7 or 8 hours....

Thanks for the imput guys..

Take Care.. I have to go paint as we speak!

[Vodkaman]

I recon it could be the fans! If the fans are blowing into your face, this will cause the eye problem.

The sixteen hours is OK, as long as it is something that you enjoy doing.

[BobP]

This is the first I've heard about problems with epoxy. I don't discount the possibility but on the other hand, there are lots of possible chemical irritants like solvents used in lure building, plus sawdust from the wood itself. And if you're doing it outside, there's air pollution and pollens in the summertime to consider. If it's severe enough to keep you from a hobby/business you love, I'd consider a visit to an allergist to isolate the irritant and maybe desensitize yourself to it.

[Lure--Prof]

I think V-Man nailed with the fans there Rook! You're now spending more time than ever painting, so your eyes & lids have never quite had to deal with so much "wind" exposure before. I have one spot in my living room that puts me in direct air flow, and if I spend too much time there, the same happens to me, whereas it's not a problem when I sit in my other spot out of direct flow.

Dean

[woodieb8]

if you become a baitmaker or a painter. its a lifestyle not a job. most can attest to this thru there bank accounts.. get the safety equipment.

[RiverMan]

I wear just a light mask when cutting out lures and sanding and have a blower running. I think a dust collection system would be alot better though and really all of us should be using one. When I am using the lead I make sure the shop is wide open so that fresh air is constantly moving in and out and I touch the stuff as little as possible and wear goggles. Always wash your hands after handling it.

Epoxy? I personally think the stuff is more dangerous than they let on. I didn't have any trouble with it until about 2 yrs went by and then I would notice a bit of dizziness after each use.........keep in mind I am building a fair number of lures each year. I seem to be more sensitive to things like this than most so it doesn't surprise me that others aren't feeling anything from it.

Anyway, I now use a good mask whenever applying epoxy which I store in a plastic bag between uses to save the charcoal filter. I also open the shop up to allow the maximum amount of fresh air to ciruculate. And finally, I wear latex gloves whenever handling the stuff which I just throw out after each use. Be careful with epoxy, it's not good.

Jed V.

[spare tire]

I use 2 ton and it bothers my skin really bad, any place it touches my skin makes that area itch for days. I have a hard time using gloves so I just deal with it but I'm careful. My freind puts it on with his bare hands and has no trouble. I might just be allergic to it. I've recently started using Dicks nite coat without any irratations.